Pokémon Conquest Review

It’s not only fun, it’s possibly the best Pokémon spinoff ever made.

Pokémon Conquest represents an amalgamation of concepts that flat-out shouldn’t work together. The core Pokémon games have been taking the world by storm for more than a decade now with their addictive, turn-based mechanics and hyper cuddly/collectible monsters. Nobunaga’s Ambition, on the other hand, is a more obscure strategy RPG series - one that draws inspiration from the Sengoku period of feudal Japan, and focuses on broad, sweeping themes like war and conquest. The two concepts couldn’t be more disparate, even contradictory - and to throw them together seemed to portend an abomination in the making.

And yet it’s not an abomination - far from it, in fact. Thanks to some brilliant execution (and teamwork) by developers Tecmo Koei and the Pokémon Company, Pokémon Conquest not only works, it’s possibly the most cohesive, fully realized spinoff in Pokémon history.

The premise is simple – in the land of Ransei, warriors and warlords share the unique ability to communicate with Pokémon. The people believe that if one warrior is able to conquer the 17 kingdoms that comprise Ransei, the legendary Pokémon that created the region will awaken. Naturally, the nature of the person who does the conquering will affect whether this awakening results in the unification or destruction of Ransei. It’s up to you and your ever-growing army of warriors and monsters to overthrow all 17 kingdoms before the ambitious and ruthless Nobunaga can beat you to it.

It’s a clever, straightforward premise that sets up a whole new, fantastical world – one that draws inspiration from both franchises while paving its own way as a separate and unique experience. It’s a world crafted to aptly house both pocket monsters and some delightful caricatures of Japanese historical figures, the basis of a new canon that remarkably manages to feel on par with the core Pokémon entries. In fact, the world of Conquest feels so fleshed out, so fully realized, it’s hard to believe it was created from the ground up for this singular, experimental experience.

Pokemon and Nobunaga&#Array;s Ambition. Who knew?

The simplicity of the story acts as a brilliant backdrop for the surprisingly deep combat Conquest offers. The basic gameplay unfolds something like similar strategy JRPGS such as Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics Advance - but extra touches (which I’ll get into momentarily) make the whole experience feel fresh, despite the game sticking close to tradition. The pacing of the combat is much slower than a traditional Pokémon affair – a pace that strategy fans should be quite familiar with, one that recalls a long, satisfying game of chess. It’s all about forward thinking, creative micro-management, and apt planning. You must think about who to take into battle and exactly how to use them. You must make the board work for you while trying to surmise your opponents’ strategies (and see that they don’t interfere with your own). It further differs from the traditional Pokemon experience because you not only think about attacking and reacting, but also about positional strategies. Where your monster is on the board, if it’s within attack range of your opponents’ monsters, making sure its back isn’t turned to enemies so it doesn’t take extra damage - all are factors you must take into account to ensure success. Whether the goal of the match at hand is to defeat all enemies or claim all the banners, each is a thoughtful, slowly unfolding experience that effectively engages the mind and should give any strategy fan plenty to wrap their brain around.

The type strengths and weaknesses that all but define the Pokemon experience are also present in Conquest, and add a whole other layer to the already strategic encounters. Try to take a Psychic type Pokémon into the Ghost kingdom of Spectra and you likely won’t like the results (you’ll probably get pwned, in other words). Whereas taking some Water monsters to a Fire-fueled battlefield is, naturally, a much better idea. To further elevate the experience, you’re also battling against the stage itself. Each of Ransei’s 17 kingdoms offers its own unique set of challenges (like falling meteors, boulders that can be rolled into opponents, trap doors to transport you elsewhere in the stage, jump pads, poison bogs, and so on). The kingdoms and the arenas housed within are quite varied and creative, affecting the battle just enough to keep you on your toes, but not enough to add an unfavorable level of randomness and prove a nuisance.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Pokémon spinoff without some sort of collecting aspect – and Conquest certainly doesn’t skimp on that front. There are around 200 different monsters to link with (or “catch,” in other words), as well as 200 warriors to recruit. Through linking with multiple creatures, you can assign each warrior in your army their own team of sorts (the size of the team varies for each character). While each warrior can only take one monster into battle at a time, it’s useful to provide each with a varied team at their disposal since not all types work for all matches.

Expanding on the concept of simply acquiring every warrior and Pokémon in the game, each of the 200 warriors is also closely linked to one of the 200 monsters. It’s up to you to seek out and recruit whatever species of monster each of your warriors is meant to partner with, the one with whom they can achieve a “perfect link” (in other words, the monster they’ll be able to grow the most with). In essence this means that even Pokémon that, in the original series, are almost unusable in a competitive match have the potential to become quite powerful – if you’re willing to seek out their perfect link and train them to their fullest. Terribly fond of Bidoof? Just track down his warrior “soul mate” and get to training, and there’s no reason he can’t be one of your go-to monsters.

Pokémon staples like evolution are also present in Conquest, achieved by nurturing the link between that monster and its corresponding warrior. You’ll still need a Fire Stone to coax your Eevee into becoming a glorious Flareon, but the game provides all the tools you need to help your monster buddies realize their final form. As an interesting twist on this concept, the warriors themselves are also able to evolve – though for them it’s called “transforming” – a similar process achieved through dedicated training that results in an increase in strength, capacity and other attributes.

Fear not, Snivy! You&#Array;ll be a wickedly cool snake soon.

There’s so much to the brilliantly executed battle system that it’s near impossible to cover it all within the space of a review. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s also castle management, which allows you to deploy warriors to protect your territories and delegate them to grow various aspects of your kingdoms (like the training grounds, shops, etc). The calendar system, whereby you can only use each warrior once during one of the game’s months, makes you carefully consider how you’re managing your time and teams. There’s also the Charisma rating of each warrior, which affects how well that warrior exchanges with shop keepers (and thusly how much they end up paying for goods and services). You can also combine items into rare goods to assist you in battle, increase your Pokémon’s strength with a trip to the Ponigiri Shop, or go mining for gold if you have a warrior or two to spare.

The game’s presentation is also quite impressive. The localization is absolutely incredible – from the personality-rich translation to the descriptive yet concise mechanic explanations to the naming of the game itself. The epic and atmospheric music lends to the feudal Japanese vibe, and the anime-style, hand-drawn artwork of the characters and kingdoms is truly gorgeous. The look of the game is so appealing it doesn’t really matter that’s it’s been developed for the Nintendo DS rather than the 3DS – after all, gaming in two dimensions is as compelling now as it ever was, and this is a prime example of the continued relevance of 2D game design. The sprite work is also truly expert, with fluid (and delightful) Pokémon animations bringing the battles to life. Watching the purple waves of Kadabra's Psybeam attack or the awesome power of Rhyperior’s Rock Wrecker move makes the slow-paced battles still feel exciting and eventful.

As if all that wasn’t enough, the game is also incredibly long – about 100 hours if you include the 20-hour main story and the 30 or so additional scenarios you unlock afterward. Throw in the ability to challenge your friends to a local multiplayer battle, and what you have is a game that just keeps on giving. You’d think such a deep, content-heavy experience would only be digestible by hardcore strategy fans or avid PokéManiacs, but that's not the case at all. The initial story unfolds smoothly and explains things clearly, without ever bogging the player down with lengthy explanation segments. Even strategy novices should have no problem jumping right into the experience.

Overall, Pokémon Conquest is a game that anyone should be able to enjoy – assuming you have the patience demanded by the strategy genre. In truth, it’s a type of gameplay that is probably not suited for everyone. The pacing is intentionally slow, and some battles take a long, long time to complete. There’s a lot to keep in mind, a lot of micro-managing and the like. But if there was ever a game that makes this complex genre approachable to outsiders, this is it.

The Verdict

Pokémon Conquest represents a complete re-imagining of the Pokémon universe - a thoughtful, masterful take on what a Pokémon RPG can be. The high stakes and bountiful characters of Nobunaga's Ambition strengthen and add flavor to the unassumingly captivating story. The collecting aspect, familiar monsters and healthy peppering of Pokémon concepts only further fuel the experience. With incredibly deep gameplay and some seriously successful world building, Conquest more than stands on its own two feet. The risks the developers took – including the very concept of the game itself - all paid off beautifully, helping Conquest easily live up to the Pokémon name.

Pokémon fans should not hesitate to give Conquest a try. It offers a new and different way to enjoy the Pokémon universe, and is well worth your time and money. The same goes for strategy fans, or those looking to get into the genre. For all these reasons, and for the game’s creative and apt execution, I walked away from the experience thoroughly impressed and amazed. It easily stands alongside the similarly well-executed (and unexpectedly splendid) likes of Pokémon Snap as one of the greatest, most fully realized Pokémon spinoffs in existence.